When an old magnetic shower door seal needs replacing, the obvious move is to take it off, snap a photo, and look online for something similar.
The clear plastic looks similar. The length seems right. The new strip may even fit over the edge of the glass without much trouble.
Then you close the door. Sometimes the two sides get close but won’t pull together. In other cases, they stick only when the door is pushed into an awkward position. A new seal can also seem fine at first, then make the door harder to close once the full strip is installed.
At that point, the issue is usually about more than magnet strength. A magnetic seal needs to fit the glass and meet the other side at the right place and in the right direction. That’s why it helps to look at how the door closes before searching for something that simply looks similar.
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Start With How the Two Pieces of Glass Meet
Before removing the old seals, close the shower door slowly. Watch how the two glass edges come together. On some doors, the glass meets almost face to face. On others, a moving door meets a fixed panel at an angle, so the magnetic strips come together from the side instead of straight on.
That difference matters because the strips need to work with the way the door closes. A quick photo of the door fully closed can be more useful than a photo of the old strip by itself. Try to get both pieces of glass, both seals, and where the two sides come together in the same shot.
That way, when you start looking for a replacement, you’re not just trying to match a clear strip. You’re trying to recreate how the two sides originally met.
Fitting Over the Glass Is Only the First Check
Next, look at the strip itself. Start with the glass thickness. Two magnetic strips can look almost identical from the front while having different grooves that fit over the glass.
Too tight, and the strip may not push fully into place. Too loose, and it may start sliding over time.
Once the old strip is off, wipe the end clean and take a clear photo from that angle instead of only photographing the full length.
That view makes it easier to see the part that fits over the glass, where the magnet sits, and which way any softer fins or edges face.
When you do need a replacement, comparing the glass thickness, what the old strip looks like from the end, and the photo of the closed door can help narrow down the right shower magnetic strip.
Length is usually easier to check once those details match. Getting the length right only means the strip is long enough for the door. It won’t fix a groove that doesn’t fit the glass or two magnetic sides that no longer meet in the right direction.
When the Strip Won’t Hold, Watch What Happens First
A magnetic strip that won’t hold properly is not always worn out. Close the door gently and watch what the two sides do. Do they pull together, push away from each other, or only touch along part of the strip?
When the two sides clearly push away from each other, the magnets may be facing the wrong way or the new and old sides may not match.
When the top closes but the bottom still has a gap, the magnet may not be the main problem. A slightly sagging door or glass that is no longer lined up evenly can keep the strips from meeting properly.
A new strip may also work at first, then start sliding down after a few days. That’s a reason to check whether the groove is too loose or the strip was pushed fully into place.
When the two sides meet but one section still won’t sit flat, mineral buildup or soap residue where the seals touch is also worth checking.
These can all look like “the magnetic strip isn’t working,” but they don’t have the same cause. This guide on why a shower door magnetic strip stops working goes through those problems in more detail and can help when the cause isn’t obvious.
Figuring out whether the problem is the way the two magnetic sides match, the door position, the fit on the glass, or where the seals actually touch is more useful than simply buying another strip with a “stronger” magnet.
Keep the Details That Will Help You Match It Again
Once the old strip comes off, don’t throw it away right away. When the original model number is long gone, the most useful details are the glass thickness, what the old strip looks like from the end, the position of the two glass panels when the door is closed, and how the original strips sat on the glass.
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